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Sample College Essay

Millions of Americans are signed up for welfare; the program designed to aid poor and needy families. Unfortunately, it has now become a way of life for many. Many argue that welfare is not destroying our culture and creating a dependent people who have learned to abuse certain privileges that come with living in America, but history has proven that this is not true. (Hoehn, Richard. pg 60)

Former President Clinton signed the welfare reform bill, he said “Today, we are taking a historic chance to make welfare what it was meant to be: a second chance, not a way of life.” Welfare was designed to give a boost to the poor-to help struggling families make it through the year while they got back on their feet. What it has become is a target for gluttonous people and others who have no values. Many people who are on welfare have become used to it, and instead of using the money and aid to stay alive while they look for a job, they are sitting at home waiting by the mailbox for the next check to come in. In the meantime, many people are having more kids, because-more kids more welfare money. These women relish the thought of getting free money in the mail-for doing absolutely nothing.

Welfare is destroying out culture. Many argue that welfare is necessary for many families, and that it must not be cut. Some argue that it is giving starving families the boost they need to make it one more year. This is only partially true. Yes, we need welfare, but we also need to limit the amount of time a family can stay on it. By letting families stay on welfare for extended periods of time, we are only creating a lazy, dependent culture. People figure that the welfare check will come in the mail, so where’s the motivation for going out and getting a job? There isn’t one. That is why President Clinton signed the welfare reform bill. He knows that the welfare laws need to be refined, and he has chosen himself as the apostle for this chore.

Many people are abusing welfare in more ways than one. The most common form of welfare abuse is just staying on it too long, and using it as an income, instead of a boost. There are worse cases, though, which clearly show the need for reform. Many people are using welfare as an income, and using the money for purposes other than survival. Many are using the money to buy drugs. Inevitably, these drugs lead to an even more destructive way of life. Many of these people become even more promiscuous, having babies for the money that will be added to her monthly check. (Kaus, Mickey. A27.)

Welfare is destroying our society. It is creating and encouraging a slothful and idle culture, and it needs to stop. In the past, honest, hardworking people who just needed a push used welfare. Quickly though, welfare has become something that too many depend on. Many of the families on welfare are poor and lazy. Satisfied with their monthly check, many of the recipients use it as their only form of income, and do nothing else. The government is only encouraging and enabling their idleness by paying these people to sit around doing nothing. These people, if not for the welfare reform bill, would have spent their lives avoiding work for as long as the government would allow, which is usually a lifetime. (Schiller, Bradley, pg 16.)

There are the immigrants. Not the immigrants who come to America looking for freedom and a new life-I’m talking of the ones who invade our beaches and our borders, and head straight for the welfare sign up desk. These people suck up tax dollars from the honest and hard working, and give the society nothing in return. No more. These people will all be cut off with the new bill. (US News and World Report. 11-14.)

The greedy people, the lazy families, the leeching immigrants-they all signal that we need to change the system. So we begin anew. Starting over with a new plan, and a new attitude, destined to succeed, and not likely to fail. No, it is not harsh or discriminating, and yes, it is very necessary.

References
Hoehn, Richard. Blueprint for Social Justice: Let’s Get Real About Welfare, New Orleans, 1995, pg 60.
Kaus, Mickey. “The Revival of Liberalism.” New York Times. 9 August 1996: A27.
“Say You Want A Revolution.” US News and World Report. 9 Oct 1995: 11-14
Schiller, Bradley, “Why Welfare is Still So Hard To Reform.” Challenge, New York, 1995, pg 16.